2024 Japan Cherry Blossom Season Summary (Recommendations and Avoidances)

Last year, a guide to Japan's cherry blossoms was widely bookmarked, but due to unexpected climate conditions, the blooms did not meet expectations, and the guide wasn't fully utilized. Here are some places I visited last year, categorized into recommended, not recommended, and optional visits. 🌸Recommended Visits⛩️: Soga Riverbank (Osaka): If you're planning to visit Osaka for cherry blossom viewing, Soga Riverbank is worth a visit. It stretches about 1-2 kilometers with cherry blossoms, offering picturesque scenes alongside trains. This location is frequented mostly by locals, with few foreign tourists. Transportation is accessible via Kintetsu Bōjō Station, with about a 10-minute walk after exiting the station. Sewari-tei (Kyoto): Sewari-tei is a well-known spot that was stunning even before full bloom last year. It can be paired with Fushimi Jukkoku-bune for a day's itinerary. Ōishi Shrine (Kyoto): Last year's cherry blossom refugee situation is still vivid in my memory, but Ōishi Shrine's night cherry blossoms and Sewari-tei were saviors. It's recommended to arrive before 5 PM for night photography. You might encounter locals with Shiba Inu dogs, which make for great photos. Transportation is convenient from Kyoto Station, with buses Daigo Temple Line 301/303 going directly. ☀️Weather-dependent🌧️: Miidera (Kyoto): We visited Miidera last year during heavy rain, under a gloomy sky. Reservations are required, so it's advisable to check the weather forecast in advance. If it's sunny, it should be picturesque; if rainy, it's not worth visiting as there's nothing else nearby. Reservations can be made at Miidera Reservation. Address: 246 Onjoji-cho, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. Reservations start on March 10, 2025, costing 3000 yen per group, up to 6 people. 🚌Other🚶‍♂️: Tsubosaka Temple (Osaka): During cherry blossom season, Tsubosaka Temple is crowded with both locals and foreign tourists. Due to traffic congestion caused by locals driving up the mountain, the bus takes 2 hours, so we walked back and forth, taking about 1 hour from Tsubosakayama Station to Tsubosaka Temple. Transportation is available via Kintetsu Tsubosakayama Station with a direct bus, and no reservation is needed. The best spot for viewing Tsubosaka Temple's Buddha requires queuing. Not Recommended: Shojuin Night Cherry Blossoms (Kyoto): The online photos of Shojuin are heavily edited, making it difficult to capture beautiful night cherry blossom photos. I joined an online tour for over 200 RMB. Departing from Kyoto around 5:30 PM, it takes over an hour to reach Shojuin. Mostly locals visit here, and no one speaks Chinese. Activities in the hall are conducted in Japanese, which left us confused. #KyotoCherryBlossoms #JapanCherryBlossoms